Malaria is still the nemesis of Tema

Malaria is still the major reason why people go to hospital in Tema accounting for 41,431 cases in 2012 and having the potential to go higher after recording 27,379 cases in the first six months of 2013.

It accounted for more than a fourth of all Out-Patients Department (OPD) attendance cases in hospitals in the Tema Metropolis captured in 2012 and more than one sixth of cases obtained from January to June , 173,838 and 156,513 respectively.

Mid–year Hypertension cases of 6,734 recorded for 2013 have already outdone cases captured in the whole of 2012 which stood at 16366, the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate (TMHD), said on Thursday.

Mr. Harvey Akafu, Tema Metropolitan Health Information Officer, told the GNA in an interview that malaria was on the rise because of poor sanitary practices that had created breeding places for mosquitoes, especially, the female anopheles, carrier of the malaria parasite.

“Hypertension is a “lifestyle disease” caused by many conditions including poor eating habits especially, the intake of fatty foods. Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages and the lack of exercise also create the path to hypertension”, he said.

He said the Directorate’s top 10 health conditions are malaria, hypertension, acute respiratory tract infections, gynaecological conditions, acute eye infection, skin diseases, ulcer, dental caries and pregnancy related complications accounted for 108, 585 in 2012 and 92,812 in 2013.

“In 2012, diabetes mellitus 10130, pregnancy related complication 8795, acute eye infection7465, rheumatism and other joint pains 6,701, gynecological condition 5547, dental caries 4873, acute ear infection 3,623, diarrhea”

But for the first months of 2013 “we recorded 9,614 cases for acute respiratory tract infections, and 5719 acute eye infections.”

Some 5,200 cases were recorded for skin diseases and ulcer, 5097 dental caries, 3751 pregnant relate complications and gynecological complications stood at 3430.

He said all public facilities in the Tema Metropolis are obliged to treat National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card holders and urged those who do not have the NHIS card to register with the scheme and for those whose cards have expired should renew their subscription.